Article ID: | iaor201112001 |
Volume: | 44 |
Issue: | 4 |
Start Page Number: | 1471 |
End Page Number: | 1496 |
Publication Date: | Nov 2011 |
Journal: | Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'conomique |
Authors: | Chatterjee Santanu, Ghosh Sugata |
Keywords: | government, finance & banking |
The role of fiscal policy is examined when public goods provide both productive and utility services. In the presence of congestion, the consumption tax is shown to be distortionary. Optimal fiscal policy involves using consumption‐based instruments in conjunction with the income tax. An income tax‐financed increase in government spending dominates both lump‐sum and consumption tax‐financing. Replacing the lump‐sum tax with an income tax to finance a given level of spending dominates introducing an equivalent consumption tax. These results contrast sharply with the literature, where the consumption tax is generally viewed as the least distortionary source of public finance.